Gao Zi I · Passage 07 / 20 · 孟子 6A.7

Mencius 6A.7: good years, bad years, and human nature

Mencius uses good years, bad years, grain, soil, and rain to show that moral beginnings can be supported or submerged by environment.

孟子曰：「富歲，子弟多賴；兇歲，子弟多暴。非天之降才爾殊也，其所以陷溺其心者然也。今夫麰麥，播種而耘之，其地同，樹之時又同，浡然而生，至於日至之時，皆熟矣。雖有不同，則地有肥磽，雨露之養，人事之不齊也。故凡同類者，舉相似也，何獨至於人而疑之？聖人與我同類者。故龍子曰：『不知足而為屨，我知其不為蕢也。』屨之相似，天下之足同也。口之於味，有同嗜也，易牙先得我口之所嗜者也。如使口之於味也，其性與人殊，若犬馬之與我不同類也，則天下何嗜皆從易牙之於味也？至於味，天下期於易牙，是天下之口相似也。惟耳亦然，至於聲，天下期於師曠，是天下之耳相似也。惟目亦然，至於子都，天下莫不知其姣也；不知子都之姣者，無目者也。故曰：口之於味也，有同嗜焉；耳之於聲也，有同聽焉；目之於色也，有同美焉。至於心，獨無所同然乎？心之所同然者，何也？謂：理也，義也。聖人先得我心之所同然耳。故理義之悅我心，猶芻豢之悅我口。」

mèng zǐ yuē：「fù suì， zǐ dì duō lài； xiōng suì， zǐ dì duō bào。 fēi tiān zhī jiàng cái ěr shū yě， qí suǒ yǐ xiàn nì qí xīn zhě rán yě。 jīn fū móu mài， bō zhǒng ér yún zhī， qí dì tóng， shù zhī shí yòu tóng， bó rán ér shēng， zhì wū rì zhì zhī shí， jiē shú yǐ。 suī yǒu bù tóng， zé dì yǒu féi qiāo， yǔ lù zhī yǎng， rén shì zhī bù qí yě。 gù fán tóng lèi zhě， jǔ xiāng sì yě， hé dú zhì wū rén ér yí zhī？ shèng rén yǔ wǒ tóng lèi zhě。 gù lóng zǐ yuē：『bù zhī zú ér wéi jù， wǒ zhī qí bù wéi kuì yě。』 jù zhī xiāng sì， tiān xià zhī zú tóng yě。 kǒu zhī wū wèi， yǒu tóng shì yě， yì yá xiān dé wǒ kǒu zhī suǒ shì zhě yě。 rú shǐ kǒu zhī wū wèi yě， qí xìng yǔ rén shū， ruò quǎn mǎ zhī yǔ wǒ bù tóng lèi yě， zé tiān xià hé shì jiē cóng yì yá zhī wū wèi yě？ zhì wū wèi， tiān xià qī wū yì yá， shì tiān xià zhī kǒu xiāng sì yě。 wéi ěr yì rán， zhì wū shēng， tiān xià qī wū shī kuàng， shì tiān xià zhī ěr xiāng sì yě。 wéi mù yì rán， zhì wū zǐ dōu， tiān xià mò bù zhī qí jiāo yě； bù zhī zǐ dōu zhī jiāo zhě， wú mù zhě yě。 gù yuē： kǒu zhī wū wèi yě， yǒu tóng shì yān； ěr zhī wū shēng yě， yǒu tóng tīng yān； mù zhī wū sè yě， yǒu tóng měi yān。 zhì wū xīn， dú wú suǒ tóng rán hū？ xīn zhī suǒ tóng rán zhě， hé yě？ wèi： lǐ yě， yì yě。 shèng rén xiān dé wǒ xīn zhī suǒ tóng rán ěr。 gù lǐ yì zhī yuè wǒ xīn， yóu chú huàn zhī yuè wǒ kǒu。」

Mencius said, 'In good years the children of the people are most of them good, while in bad years the most of them abandon themselves to evil. It is not owing to any difference of their natural powers conferred by Heaven that they are thus different. The abandonment is owing to the circumstances through which they allow their minds to be ensnared and drowned in evil. There now is barley. Let it be sown and covered up; the ground being the same, and the time of sowing likewise the same, it grows rapidly up, and, when the full time is come, it is all found to be ripe. Although there may be inequalities of produce, that is owing to the difference of the soil, as rich or poor, to the unequal nourishment afforded by the rains and dews, and to the different ways in which man has performed his business in reference to it. Thus all things which are the same in kind are like to one another; why should we doubt in regard to man, as if he were a solitary exception to this? The sage and we are the same in kind. In accordance with this the scholar Long said, "If a man make hempen sandals without knowing the size of people's feet, yet I know that he will not make them like baskets." Sandals are all like one another, because all men's feet are like one another. So with the mouth and flavours - all mouths have the same relishes. Yi Ya only apprehended before me what my mouth relishes. Suppose that his mouth in its relish for flavours differed from that of other men, as is the case with dogs or horses which are not the same in kind with us, why should all men be found following Yi Ya in their relishes? In the matter of tastes all the people model themselves after Yi Ya; that is, the mouths of all men are like one another. And so also it is with the ear. In the matter of sounds, the whole people model themselves after the music-master Kuang; that is, the ears of all men are like one another. And so also it is with the eye. In the case of Zi Du, there is no man but would recognise that he was beautiful. Any one who would not recognise the beauty of Zi Du must have no eyes. Therefore I say, Men's mouths agree in having the same relishes; their ears agree in enjoying the same sounds; their eyes agree in recognising the same beauty - shall their minds alone be without that which the similarly approve? What is it then of which they similarly approve? It is, I say, the principles of our nature, and the determinations of righteousness. The sages only apprehended before me that of which my mind approves along with other men. Therefore the principles of our nature and the determinations of righteousness are agreeable to my mind, just as the flesh of grass and grain-fed animals is agreeable to my mouth.'